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VIP Play Appoints Dr. Robert Rippee as Interim CMO

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VIP Play, a rapidly expanding mobile sports betting and interactive gaming company, has announced the appointment of Robert Rippee, Ph.D., as Interim Chief Marketing Officer. With decades of leadership experience in gaming, marketing, and innovation, Dr. Rippee will be instrumental in advancing VIP Play’s market growth strategy through its collaboration with UNLV’s Black Fire Innovation hub.

“I see a tremendous opportunity to elevate VIP Play into one of the most innovative and customer-centric platforms in the sports betting and gaming industry. Using the model developed at UNLV’s Black Fire Innovation, we will accelerate product development and deliver experiences that increase engagement, loyalty, and long-term revenue growth. This is exactly the kind of forward-looking strategy investors should be excited about,” said Dr. Robert Rippee, Interim CMO at VIP Play.

Dr. Rippee brings an unmatched blend of executive industry experience and academic expertise. As former Senior Vice President of Marketing at Las Vegas Sands Corporation, he oversaw global brand growth and large-scale customer acquisition strategies that drove billions in revenue. His academic research at UNLV focuses on gaming convergence, esports, and consumer behavior, aligning directly with VIP Play’s goal of building highly engaging, revenue-generating gaming platforms.

Dr. Rippee recently retired after a decade as the Executive Director of UNLV’s Black Fire Innovation, where he led one of the most advanced gaming and hospitality technology innovation ecosystems in the world. By combining his innovation leadership at UNLV with his new role at VIP Play, the company gains a direct pipeline to breakthrough innovation, commercialization opportunities, and next-generation customer engagement strategies.

“Dr. Rippee’s proven ability to bridge cutting-edge academic research, innovation ecosystems, and gaming industry leadership makes him a powerful addition to VIP Play. His appointment signals to the market that VIP Play is not only competing—but leading—at the intersection of technology, gaming, and fan engagement. We expect this partnership with Black Fire to translate into meaningful shareholder value and accelerated growth,” said Les Ottolenghi, CEO at VIP Play.

The post VIP Play Appoints Dr. Robert Rippee as Interim CMO appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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R. Franco Digital Shortlisted for Casino Platform Excellence at EGR Europe Awards 2026

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R. Franco Digital, the leading Spanish iGaming provider, has been officially shortlisted for Casino Platform Supplier of the Year at the prestigious EGR Europe Awards 2026. The nomination recognizes a landmark year for the company, characterized by the explosive growth of its IRIS Open Omnichannel Platform and a major commercial breakthrough into the Italian market.

The winners will be announced during a gala ceremony on February 18, 2026, at the Hilton Malta, where the industry’s top-tier operators and suppliers gather to celebrate European gaming excellence.

IRIS: The Engine of Omnichannel Growth

The core of R. Franco Digital’s success lies in its IRIS platform, a highly scalable, multi-jurisdictional solution that unifies casino, sports betting, and retail management.

IRIS Platform Milestones (2025-2026):

  • Jurisdictional Reach: Certified in 6 jurisdictions and operational in over 10 regulated markets.

  • Content Depth: Seamlessly integrated with over 1,600 games from global third-party providers.

  • Operational Stability: Provides 24/7 multilingual support and advanced real-time analytics for operators.

  • Commercial Momentum: Secured 50+ new operator partnerships and entered three new markets within the last 12 months.

Performance Highlights: 4 Billion Game Rounds

R. Franco Digital’s games portfolio has seen a massive surge in engagement, bolstered by 20 new high-performance slot releases in 2025. Standout titles such as Strange Spins, Aphrodite, Zorro: Final Duel, Ovomon, and The Phantom contributed to a record-breaking year.

Metric 2025–2026 Achievement
Total Game Rounds 4 Billion+ across regulated markets
Revenue Growth 30% Increase during the judging period
New Content 20 New slot titles launched
Expansion Debut in the Italian regulated market

Strategic Italian Market Entry

A major factor in the EGR shortlisting was R. Franco Digital’s successful entry into Italy. The provider rapidly localized its content to meet the specific demands of Italian players through tier-one partnerships:

  • Stanleybet.it: Launched 19 games, including the Italian-exclusive debut of Strange Spins.

  • 888.it: Successfully rolled out the popular Super 7 3×3 title.

“We’re proud to be shortlisted for this award, which reflects the strength of our IRIS platform and the quality of the content we’ve delivered over the past year,” said Javier Sacristán Franco, International Business Director at R. Franco Digital. “Our team has worked hard to support operators with reliable, innovative solutions… we are delighted to see that effort recognised.”

The post R. Franco Digital Shortlisted for Casino Platform Excellence at EGR Europe Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Big Hot Flaming Pots

Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures – Lightning Box Brings Land-Based Hit Online

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Light & Wonder has officially launched Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures, the digital debut of its highly successful land-based franchise. Developed by in-house specialist studio Lightning Box, this 3×5 slot offers 243 ways to win and a high-energy “three-pot” mechanic that has already become a staple on casino floors worldwide.

The game transitions the whimsical “dumpling-tossing” theme to online audiences, combining vibrant Asian-inspired aesthetics with a deep mathematical model designed for high-engagement sessions.

The Three-Pot Mechanic & Seven Feature Combinations

At the core of the gameplay is the persistent pot system. Landing specific colored coins fuels three separate pots—Yummy, Spicy, and Upsized. These pots can trigger individually or in any combination, leading to seven distinct bonus paths.

Feature Mode Gameplay Enhancement
Yummy Mode Increases the Hold & Spin respin counter from 3 to 4, significantly extending bonus life.
Spicy Mode Introduces Chilli multipliers; landing a pepper adds its cash value to every symbol currently held on the board.
Upsized Mode Unlocks a Dual Grid (two reel sets) for the Hold & Spin round, doubling the win potential.
Combined Modes Triggering all three at once creates the “Mega Bonus,” featuring dual grids, 4 respins, and value-boosting peppers.

Innovation: The Stack N’ Hit™ Feature

Unlike traditional Hold & Spin mechanics where symbols simply lock until the round ends, Tasty Treasures introduces the Stack N’ Hit™ evolution.

  • Reel Clearing: When a vertical reel is filled with Bun symbols, the prizes are instantly collected, and the reel is cleared.

  • Persistent Respins: Clearing a reel creates open spaces for new prizes to land, allowing the bonus round to continue far longer than standard industry alternatives.

  • The Path to Grand: Each cleared reel activates a “Pepper Tracker” above it. Lighting up all five trackers awards the Grand Progressive Jackpot.

Jackpot Tiers & Base Game Depth

Operators benefit from a versatile math model that supports both consistent base-game performance and high-volatility jackpot chases.

  • Progressive Jackpots: Grand and Major tiers for life-changing win potential.

  • Fixed Jackpots: Minor and Mini tiers awarded through symbols landing during features.

  • Nudge Wilds: In the base game, Wild symbols can nudge to cover entire reels, assisting in achieving the 243-way payouts.

“Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures carries forward a brand that has already made its mark in land-based venues,” says Michael Maokhamphiou, Studio Director at Lightning Box. “This release offers operators a flexible, high-performing title that combines familiarity with fresh layers of engagement.”

The post Big Hot Flaming Pots: Tasty Treasures – Lightning Box Brings Land-Based Hit Online appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Blask Index

How Venezuela’s iGaming market is reacting to US pressure

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Blask data indicates Venezuela’s iGaming demand remained stable in the initial days following the US operation in Caracas.

On 3 January, US forces detained Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, transporting him from Caracas to face prosecution in New York. The raid came after months of intensifying American pressure throughout 2025 — naval presence, targeted strikes, and a fresh sanctions package. 

For Venezuela’s iGaming sector, the disruption poses a critical question: will demand collapse, or adapt?

First results

Blask’s daily Index remained within a tight corridor from 1–4 January, hovering in the high-200K zone. It dropped 5% to 257.4K on the day of the operation, before recovering the next day.

The data reveals no abrupt demand shift during this period. A slight decline sits within Venezuela’s normal daily fluctuations and does not point to a fundamental market change.

Rapid expansion, growing dominance

Venezuela stood out as one of iGaming’s strongest demand gainers in 2025. Blask Index surged 134.9% year-on-year — the second-highest growth worldwide.

This expansion came alongside increasing market dominance. By December, Triunfo Bet commanded 59% of Blask’s BAP (Brand Accumulated Power, measuring a brand’s portion of total user interest nationally), gaining 15 percentage points since January. The top three brands collectively reached over 85%, up 11 points.

The post How Venezuela’s iGaming market is reacting to US pressure appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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